Definition
In the present application, “group III-V semiconductor” refers to a compound semiconductor that includes at least one group III element and at least one group V element, such as, but not limited to, gallium nitride (GaN), gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium aluminum gallium nitride (InAlGaN), indium gallium nitride (InGaN) and the like. Analogously, “III-nitride semiconductor” refers to a compound semiconductor that includes nitrogen and at least one group III element, such as, but not limited to, GaN, AlGaN, InN, AlN, InGaN, InAlGaN and the like.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally in the field of semiconductors. More specifically, the present invention is in the field of fabrication of compound semiconductor devices.
2. Background Art
Increased diversity in the types of materials used for semiconductor device fabrication have made integration of conventional silicon devices with more recent generations of non-silicon high voltage devices challenging. For example, although it may be highly desirable to use a silicon or other conventional group IV semiconductor device to control a III-nitride transistor, a conventional approach to doing so typically requires that the two distinct device types, each fabricated using different active semiconductor materials on different dies, be co-packaged, rather than share a single die in common.
Unfortunately, this conventional approach to implementing group IV semiconductor devices in combination with non-group IV devices entails several significant drawbacks. For example, because the separate devices are typically fabricated separately on separate dies, their combination requires more space and is more expensive than if the devices were to be integrated on a single die. In addition, the requirement that the separate dies be electrically coupled in packaging, typically by wire bonding the dies together, introduces reliability and performance constraints flowing from the physical durability of the bonds, as well as parasitic inductances introduced by the wires themselves that may effectively decouple the separate devices at high switching speeds. Moreover, because the individual devices are fabricated separately on separate dies, particular pairs or groups of individual devices combined for co-packaging may be less than ideally matched, resulting in sub-optimal performance of the composite device.
Thus, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a solution enabling effective and efficient integration of a group III-V semiconductor device with a group IV semiconductor device on a single die, i.e., their monolithic integration.